The father of a 2-year-old Jersey City girl whose death has been ruled "suspicious" said yesterday that he got an emotionless call from the child's mother from the Jersey City Medical Center Tuesday night saying the girl was dead.

"She called me at 6:30 (p.m.) and told me to get to hospital as soon as possible and I said 'Why? Why?' and finally she said 'Your daughter passed away,'" Paul Lewin, 52, of Brooklyn, said of the call from Jennifer Cruz, 30, regarding the death of Karen Lewin.

Lewin said, "She told me with no emotion, not crying, it was like a joke, but I still rushed there. I got to the hospital at 8:20 (p.m.). When I got there the doctor and the nurse said 'We have to talk to you.' I broke down from there. (Cruz) had already been arrested."

On Wednesday, Cruz, of Garfield Avenue, made her first court appearance on the charges of endangering the welfare of the 2-year-old, as well as endangering the welfare of her 1-year-old son, Kevin.

On May 14, Cruz struck the girl, "causing bruising to her forehead, left cheek, chest and left arm," criminal complaint says, adding that she bit Kevin "on the left shoulder, breaking the skin."

An autopsy has been performed on the girl, but the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office has not revealed the results, and said the investigation is active.

Lewin said he is the father of both children, as well as Cruz's 2-week-old girl who is hospitalized because she was born prematurely. He said he met Cruz about seven years ago and they have been separated for about 10 months.

Cruz moved to Jersey City in late April to have a new "environment without bad influence and thought her life would be better there," Lewin said.

Lewin said that about three weeks ago Cruz "told me she had a boyfriend, and I said 'I want to meet this person because if this person is a person who drinks like you, it's not going to be good for you."

But Lewin said when he went to Cruz's home each weekend to make sure the children were OK and to buy groceries, the boyfriend was never there. He also said that after pressing Cruz to introduce him, "the person she introduced me to was the boyfriend's brother. I don't know why."

Asked if Cruz was capable of fatally harming one of her children, Lewin said "absolutely not." He did say that during various visits he had noticed bruises on Karen's jaw and buttocks and that once she had a black eye. He said Cruz told him the girl played hard with boys and sometimes got a little hurt. He said the bruises "didn't look serious."

Kevin has been placed in the care of the state Department of Children and Families, said Lewin, who does construction work. Cruz's bail has been set at $300,000 cash or bond.

Lewin said he spoke to Cruz's 9-year-old son at the hospital Tuesday night and the boy gave him a version of events that occurred Tuesday. The Prosecutor's Office has not confirmed what the 9-year-old said.

The father said he and Cruz had agreed that he would take Karen and Kevin to a home he owns in Florida for a month, so that Cruz could go back and forth to the hospital more freely to see their newborn. They were to leave for Florida yesterday.